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Damar Hamlin Roundup: Bills-Bengals Resumption, AFC Alterations, More

January 8th, 2023 at 6:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Bills safety Damar Hamlin continuing to make progress in his recovery, and the NFL having moved forward with their re-worked playoff scenarios for the AFC, attention will now increasingly turn to the upcoming postseason. Here is a quick roundup, though, of some notes pertaining to the game in which he suffered cardiac arrest, and the process by which the new seeding parameters were arrived at:

  • Much has been made about the league’s intention of resuming the Buffalo-Cincinnati contest after Hamlin was taken off the field via ambulance. The ESPN broadcast of the game mentioned a five-minute warm-up period being relayed to both teams – something which NFL EVP Troy Vincent has, on multiple occasions, emphatically denied. Detailing the moments after Hamlin was resuscitated on the field, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that an official told the Bengals a 10-minute warm-up period would take place before resuming the game. Further conversations ensured, however, which included Bills head coach Sean McDermott stating that he was willing to forfeit the game if it ensured it was not played on Monday night. The Bengals, Florio adds, were accommodating of the Bills’ wishes, though they were under the impression the contest would be finished on Tuesday until realizing the Bills had retuned to Buffalo before the league’s ultimate cancellation decision.
  • That move led to the modified AFC structure for playoff seeding, affecting the Bills’ and Bengals’ abilities to clinch the top spot in the conference. When speaking about the owners resolution passed on Friday, commissioner Roger Goodell described it as “a focused approach that would only affect four teams” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). One of main consequences of the realignment was the ability the Chiefs had to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win on Saturday (which they did) and the decision to move any potential Chiefs-Bills AFC title game to a neutral site – a scenario which is in play given Buffalo’s win today.
  • Another, of course, was the amendment stating that home field for a Bengals-Ravens Wild Card matchup would have been decided by a coin flip had the Ravens won today (which they did not). Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that proposals were in place to split the aforementioned amendments being voted on, but they did not pass. A coin flip being used to determine the top seed was not discussed, he adds (Twitter link). Throughout the process, the Chiefs abstained from voting given the direct effects the rule changes had on their path to the top spot in the AFC, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter).
  • The NFL also considered the possibility of the Ravens and Bengals playing their Wild Card matchup (which was a distinct possibility at the time, and has since been confirmed through today’s results) at a neutral site (Twitter link via Pelissero). Challenges with ticket sales and other logistics prevented that idea from gaining traction, however. Cincinnati and Baltimore will play each other for the third time this year – and second in as many weeks – during the first round of the postseason, with the Bengals playing host due to their superior record.
  • Competition committee chair Rich McKay said, when asked about the league’s decision not to simply base playoff implications on win percentage, “We don’t capture everything in every rule. When you face situations, you have to try to make adjustments. [This situation was] not that different from some of the COVID-related issues” (Twitter link via Pelissero and Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport). No games were cancelled due to the pandemic, but the NFL has likewise arrived at a response to the unique situation presented by last Monday’s contest not being completed. Now, all affected teams will move forward with their eyes on a playoff run.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23

January 7th, 2023 at 4:38pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bills Place S Damar Hamlin On IR, Activate CB Christian Benford

January 6th, 2023 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

In what amounts to a procedural move, the Bills placed Damar Hamlin on IR on Friday. Hamlin has made tremendous progress in his recovery after a frightening scene Monday in Cincinnati, but doctors do not know yet if the young safety resuming his career is realistic at this point.

To replace Hamlin on their 53-man roster, the Bills activated cornerback Christian Benford from IR. A sixth-round rookie, Benford had carved out a role for himself prior to going on IR. He will be a welcome reinforcement for a Bills team that will resume its Super Bowl quest Sunday.

The Bills chose Benford 185th overall out of Division I-FCS Villanova. His lower-profile path notwithstanding, Benford played ahead of first-round pick Kaiir Elam as a starter early in the season. During the nine games in which the 6-foot-1 defender has played this season, he has started five and seen a 62% snap share on defense.

Benford and Tre’Davious White played in just one game together — the Bills’ Thanksgiving tilt in Detroit — but the former’s oblique injury sidelined him for the team’s next five games and the since-cancelled Monday-night outing. The Bills have White, Elam, Dane Jackson and slot Taron Johnson in place as their top corners. It will be interesting how the AFC East champions reintegrate Benford, who will presumably slide into a depth role.

Hamlin suffering cardiac arrest at Paycor Stadium led to a heroic effort by the medical staffers — both at the stadium and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. After being given CPR and resuscitated at the stadium, Hamlin was breathing on a ventilator for two days. The 24-year-old defender progressed to a breathing tube, which he now no longer needs. Hamlin worked his way back to addressing his teammates via Facetime.

Football-wise, the Bills do need to replace the second-year talent. The Pittsburgh product started 14 games for the team since Micah Hyde went down with a season-ending injury in September. Hamlin’s 91 tackles are tied for second on the Bills. The team has Pro Bowler Jordan Poyer anchoring its back line, and it reacquired Dean Marlowe at the trade deadline. Fourth-year defender Jaquan Johnson has played 225 defensive snaps — third-most among the team’s safeties this season. Hamlin’s 845 lead the position group.

Latest On Bills S Damar Hamlin’s Recovery

January 6th, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another batch of positive developments has surfaced from Damar Hamlin‘s recovery Friday. The hospitalized defender no longer needs his breathing tube and was able to speak to Bills teammates, the team announced.

After speaking to his family and select staffers at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin told Bills teammates, via Facetime, “Love you boys” (Twitter links). Doctors removed Hamlin’s breathing tube overnight. Hamlin cannot say much yet, but his ensuing words to his teammates, understandably, “brought the house down,” SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.

Hamlin’s doctors have indicated he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from cardiac arrest. The 24-year-old safety collapsed on the field in the first quarter of the Bills-Bengals matchup Monday. He required CPR at Paycor Stadium, where he was resuscitated, and as of Wednesday needed to be on a ventilator. By Thursday, Hamlin had awakened and was using his hands and feet.

Doctors said Thursday that Hamlin appeared to be neurologically intact, and the Bills’ latest statement indicates the same. During Hamlin’s short address to his teammates, Sean McDermott said he gave them a thumbs-up and “flexed on them,” ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets. Bills GM Brandon Beane stayed in Cincinnati through Thursday.

“I simply asked what would I want someone to do for my son,” Beane said. “I have two boys. Sean wanted to stay, too, but we decided he had to be with and lead our team back in Buffalo. It was a rollercoaster.”

A number of NFL tributes will take place this weekend; his charity has received nearly $8MM in donations. Hamlin’s doctors said Thursday it is far too soon to know if he will ever play football again, but considering where this situation was as recently as midweek, these latest rounds of updates have illustrated a remarkable turn of events.

Owners Approve Proposal Modifying AFC Playoff Bracket

January 6th, 2023 at 12:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following a Friday meeting, the NFL’s proposal to modify the AFC playoff bracket in certain circumstances — in the aftermath of the Bills-Bengals game being ruled a no-contest — passed and will be implemented this season, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Although the Bengals voiced persistent opposition, the proposal received the necessary 24 votes. The prospect of a neutral-site AFC championship game is now in play, along with a chance the Bengals and Ravens — in the event Baltimore defeats Cincinnati on Sunday — decide home field for a wild-card game via coin flip. The measure received 25 “yes” votes, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (on Twitter).

To recap, the NFL’s cancelling of Week 17’s Bills-Bengals game led to a series of adjustments being discussed. While it does not appear expanding the playoffs to prevent a potentially unearned bye gained traction, the neutral-site reality is a go. Here are the scenarios in which the neutral-site modification will take effect:

  • Buffalo, Kansas City both win or both tie this weekend: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC championship is at neutral site
  • Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Baltimore wins or ties: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC championship is at neutral site
  • Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Cincinnati wins: Bills/Bengals vs. Chiefs AFC championship is at neutral site

This came about because the Bills (12-3) controlled their own destiny for the AFC’s No. 1 seed — a spot the franchise has not secured since 1993 — going into their Bengals matchup. By virtue of the no-contest ruling, the Chiefs (13-3) now have that path. Buffalo defeated Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium this season, and because of the terrifying scene brought on by the Damar Hamlin injury and hospitalization, the NFL took a half-measure approach to account for this historically unusual postponement-turned-cancellation.

The Chiefs can still earn the AFC’s bye with a win Saturday over the Raiders, but if they meet the Bills again in the playoffs, the game will not be in Missouri. The Chiefs losing in Week 18 and the Bills winning would send a potential AFC title matchup to Buffalo, however, as Kansas City would not gain an edge from Buffalo’s no-contest in that scenario.

The Bills and Chiefs have met in each of the past two postseasons. Both games occurred in Kansas City, with the Chiefs winning each matchup. If the Chiefs lose Saturday or if the neutral-site scenario comes into play, it will be the first time they have played away from Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC playoffs since Patrick Mahomes‘ starter tenure began in 2018.

Roger Goodell will determine the neutral site. Indianapolis surfaced as a candidate Thursday, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter) prioritizing an outdoor venue became part of the discussion. As of Friday, the potential neutral site is not known. Ford Field is off limits, Rapoport adds, while NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan confirms the NFL has not talked to Superdome officials (Twitter links).

On the AFC North front, the Bengals (11-4) have clinched the division title because their win percentage will eclipse the 10-6 Ravens’ regardless of what happens in the teams’ Sunday meeting. Had the Bills won Monday and the Ravens defeated the Bengals in Week 18, Baltimore would have won the AFC North. The NFL factored that outcome into this emergency proposal.

If the Ravens win this weekend and the two teams meet up in the wild-card round, then a coin toss with determine the home site. Goodell will supervise the toss. The Bengals are favored to beat the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens on Sunday, but if they lose, the first part of Friday’s changes would come into play.

Though Cincinnati could benefit from the neutral-site wrinkle, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports Bengals ownership attempted to convince the league’s owners to vote down the NFL’s proposal. The competition committee approved the proposal Thursday, but one of its members — Bengals executive VP Katie Blackburn — dissented due to this change happening late in the season and not during the offseason. The NFL rulebook calls for win percentage to decide playoff seeding, in the event an uneven number of games are played. Then again, the league has not seen one of its seasons involve disparate game counts since 1935. In light of the Hamlin scene causing that streak to end, the competition committee to act.

“The proper process for making rule change [sic] is in the off-season,” Blackburn wrote, via ESPN.com’s Seth Wickersham. “It is not appropriate to put teams in a position to vote for something that may introduce bias, favor one team over another or impact their own situation when the vote takes place immediately before the playoffs.”

Zac Taylor also voiced disappointment Friday the NFL is not going by win percentage. It is certainly understandable for the Bengals, who are known for voting against rule changes, to voice opposition; the change could hurt their chances of defending their AFC title. But Cincinnati is a seven-point favorite over a Tyler Huntley-quarterbacked Baltimore squad this week. Jackson was healthy when the Ravens defeated the Bengals. Taking care of business in Week 18 will remove the coin-flip component from these modifications.

The NFL expanded to seven-team playoff brackets per conference in 2020, after moving from five to six teams ahead of the 1990 season. But Friday marks the first in-season change to the playoff setup since 1982, when a players’ strike led to the league creating a 16-team field ahead of Super Bowl XVII. The AFC’s route to Super Bowl LVII will be quite confusing, should the favorites prevail.

NFL Cancels Bills/Bengals, Will Consider Neutral Site AFC Championship Game

January 5th, 2023 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL has announced that the Bills/Bengals Week 17 contest will not resume and has officially been cancelled, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Meanwhile, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero passes along (on Twitter) the NFL’s logic for not resuming the game:

  • “Not playing the Buffalo-Cincinnati game to its conclusion will have no effect on which clubs qualify for the postseason. No club would qualify for the postseason and no club will be eliminated based on the outcome of this game.”
  • “It would require postponing the start of the playoffs for one week, thereby affecting all 14 clubs that qualify for postseason play.”
  • “Making the decision prior to Week 18 is consistent with our competitive principles and enables all clubs to know the playoff possibilities prior to playing the final weekend of regular season games.”

“This has been a very difficult week,” commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement (via Pelissero). “We continue to focus on the recovery of Damar Hamlin and are encouraged by the improvements in his condition as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and his family from across the country. We are also incredibly appreciative of the amazing work of the medical personnel and commend each and every one of them.”

We learned earlier tonight that the NFL’s owners would be meeting tomorrow to discuss the AFC playoff picture. Pelissero has passed along the scenario recommended by Goodell and the league’s Competition Committee, which met earlier tonight. Considering the “potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios,” the AFC Championship Game will be played at a neutral site if the participating teams played an unequal number of games and could have been the top seed had they played an entire 17-game schedule. This would require the Bills or Bengals to qualify for the AFC Championship as a road team, and it would also be dependent on one of three scenarios heading into the final weekend:

  • Buffalo, Kansas City both win or both tie this weekend: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site
  • Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Baltimore wins or ties: Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site
  • Buffalo, Kansas City both lose, Cincinnati wins: Bills/Bengals vs. Chiefs AFC Championship is at neutral site

If Buffalo wins on Sunday and the Chiefs lose, no neutral sites will come into play and the Bills will have the No. 1 seed, as Schefter clarifies (on Twitter). If a neutral site does come to into play, it’s uncertain where the game will be played. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets that the NFL is still working through what city would host the game.

There’s a second issue surrounding the Ravens’ and Bengals’ spots in the playoff standings. If Baltimore beats Cincinnati this weekend, the Bengals would still have the higher winning percentage (and higher seed) by virtue of having played less games, but the Ravens would still have won both of these divisional matchups. If the Ravens win this weekend and the two teams meet up in the Wild Card round, then a coin toss with determine the home site. Still, with Bengals owning the better winning percentage, they’d still be crowned division champs, per Pelissero (on Twitter).

“As we considered the football schedule, our principles have been to limit disruption across the league and minimize competitive inequities,” Goodell said. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. The proposal we are asking the ownership to consider, however, addresses the most significant potential equitable issues created by the difficult, but necessary, decision not to play the game under these extraordinary circumstances.”

For what it’s worth, Jones tweets that the NFL never considered adding an eighth playoff team. We learned earlier that such a drastic change would require collective bargaining with the NFL Players Association.

Latest On AFC Playoff Picture; Owners To Meet On Friday

January 5th, 2023 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier this evening, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reported that the NFL’s Competition Committee was set to vote on the league’s approach to the AFC playoffs. It sounds like the decision will now come down to the owners. Florio reports (on Twitter) that the league’s owners will meet on Friday regarding seeding in the AFC. ESPN’s Dianna Russini echoes that latest development (on Twitter), adding that there will likely be a resolution before the weekend.

[RELATED: NFL Considering Adding Eighth Playoff Team Amid Bills-Bengals Fallout?]

With the NFL likely eyeing a scenario where the Bills and Bengals complete the regular season having only played 16 games (vs. the 17 played by the rest of the league), the Competition Committee was expected to come up with a solution. Considering the unprecedented event, it was uncertain if the Competition Committee’s decision would be binding, and Florio expected the final decision would ultimately lie with commissioner Roger Goodell, who would have the ability to veto any scenario.

Instead, it’s sounding like the final decision will likely come down to the league’s owners. A source told Florio that the owners will have to “resolve some “controversial” aspects of finalizing the plan.” It’s uncertain if the vote will require majority or supermajority.

Among the possibilities that have been floated around are a neutral-site AFC Championship game or the No. 1 seed’s ability to choose either a first-round bye or home-field advantage over the No. 2 seed. One scenario that probably won’t happen is the addition of an eighth seed. Florio notes that revamping the postseason “would require collective bargaining with the NFL Players Association.” Indeed, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith told Ari Meirov that the NFL hasn’t approached the Players Association about this scenario (Twitter link).

In his initial report, Florio mentioned that the Bills/Bengals game has a “small theoretical chance” of still being played, especially following the good news with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. This scenario would require the NFL to reconfigure the postseason schedule.

NFL Considering Adding Eighth Playoff Team Amid Bills-Bengals Fallout?

January 5th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:52pm: No NFL-NFLPA discussions have taken place regarding an eighth playoff team per conference this year, union executive director DeMaurice Smith said (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, on Twitter).

2:50pm: The NFL is giving more consideration to a neutral-site AFC title game, and Albert Breer of SI.com notes Indianapolis has surfaced in the discussions (Twitter link). The league has informed relevant teams of the Lucas Oil Stadium concept. The league has not talked with the Colts yet, but CBS4’s Mike Chappell notes (via Twitter) the venue would be available on Jan. 29.

12:47pm: Bills and Bengals players are not behind making up the game, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, and the NFL appears to be discussing off-radar solutions to limit the impact Monday’s postponement would have on the AFC’s playoff bracket.

The league is understandably concerned calling Monday’s game a no-contest would unfairly punish the Bills or Bengals, considering both had a shot at home-field advantage. The prospect of the NFL adding an eighth playoff team for this season is now being discussed, Florio adds. Should the NFL attempt to go forward with this emergency approach, the NFLPA would need to approve it as well.

This would be a rather radical solution, but it would partially prevent the Chiefs — who would be a Las Vegas win away from earning home-field advantage — from both reaping the spoils of both an all-Missouri playoff docket and having an extra week of rest. The frightening Damar Hamlin scene leading to that sounds like something the league is trying to avoid, but the prospect of changing the bracket days ahead of Week 18 is a rather unexpected development.

The Chiefs winning Saturday and improving to 14-3 would give them the No. 1 seed, in the likely event Monday’s game is canceled, based on win percentage. However, an NFL half-measure would be to take the bye away. The Chiefs losing Saturday and the Bills winning Sunday, thus giving Buffalo the top seed, would guard against the AFC East champions having extra rest — effectively, as less than 10 minutes of Monday’s game elapsed — as well. The Bills did not have a bye week, of course, but should the NFL declare Monday’s game a no-contest, they will end their regular season with 16 games played. Ditto the Bengals, who will clinch the AFC North with a no-contest but will see their path toward the No. 1 seed close.

If eight teams are added to the AFC bracket, the NFC playoffs would need to be expanded as well. Major League Baseball changed its playoff bracket amid the COVID-19-truncated 2020 season but did so just before that shortened season began. The NFL has also made late changes to its calendar in recent years, moving the start of the league year back multiple times during CBA talks in 2020 and rescheduling several games during the 2020 and ’21 seasons due to COVID-19 outbreaks. In 1982 — a season altered by a players’ strike that wiped out seven games — the league also agreed to expand its playoff brackets to 16 teams. That is the only time in NFL history 16 teams qualified for the postseason.

An idea floated around proposing the NFC playoffs begin next week, along with a Bills-Bengals makeup event, and the AFC starting a week later — with the conferences synching up ahead of their respective divisional rounds — has not gained traction, Florio adds. However, discussions are continuing regarding the AFC championship game being played at a neutral site. When NFL executive VP Troy Vincent said everything was on the table, it appears he was serious.

Doctors: Damar Hamlin Has Made ‘Substantial Improvement’

January 5th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

More good news is coming out regarding Damar Hamlin‘s recovery. Doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center confirmed the Bills safety has made “substantial improvement” after being hospitalized due to cardiac arrest.

Hamlin’s neurological condition and function appear intact, Dr. Timothy Pritts said Thursday (via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, on Twitter). Hamlin has not regained the ability to speak and is using a breathing tube, but he asked his nurse, via pen and paper on a clipboard, who won Monday night’s Bills-Bengals game, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Hamlin remains critically ill, according to the doctors, but he has resumed the use of his hands and feet.

Both doctors and the Bills addressed Hamlin’s neurological functions, and Dr. William Knight said the Pittsburgh-area native has been holding many people’s hands in his room over the past several hours (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). While Hamlin will need to progress to breathing on his own, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo adds (via Twitter) doctors are now discussing him being sent home.

Doctors are still determining the cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, with commotio cordis — an extremely rare condition that emerges after chest trauma produces waves of electricity that can alter heart rhythm — being one of the possibilities, Garafolo tweets. Hamlin will need to resume breathing on his own to be upgraded to stable condition, the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski tweets.

The doctors have informed Hamlin it is far too soon to know if he will be able to play football again, via ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter), but considering where this situation was as recently as Wednesday, that is a secondary concern. Dr. Knight confirmed Hamlin had a pulse and then lost it while surrounded by medical personnel. The CPR performed at Paycor Stadium resuscitated Hamlin, who suddenly fell backward after making a first-quarter tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

Doctors said Hamlin has been made aware his charity — the Chasing M’s Foundation — has received more than $7MM in donations, Skurski tweets. Numerous NFL players and coaches have made donations. The developments of the past 24 hours have revitalized the Bills, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds (via Twitter) the team erupted with applause after Damar’s father, Mario Hamlin, informed the team of his son’s progress. We will continue to provide updates on Hamlin’s condition as news develops.

NFL Moving Toward Canceling Bills-Bengals Game?

January 5th, 2023 at 11:26am CST by Sam Robinson

No NFL game has been canceled since the 1987 season, when a players’ strike led to a 15-game campaign, and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes no game has started and not been completed in league history. The league rescheduled its Week 2 games in 2001, after the September 11 attacks led to their postponement, and put Tuesdays and Wednesdays in play for COVID-19-affected contests in 2020 and ’21. Three days after the Bills-Bengals game’s postponement, the league has not announced a plan.

NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent said everything is being considered, while fellow EVP Jeff Miller noted the league did not begin discussions on how to proceed with the game until recently (Twitter links via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo). Miller said, however, a decision should emerge this week, via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin (on Twitter).

Some among the Bills are skeptical the game will be resumed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (video link). Logistical reasons are behind the doubt, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes momentum is building toward the league canceling the game and dealing with the consequences. An announcement along these lines should be expected Thursday, Florio tweets.

As the NFL found its footing in the 1920s and ’30s, league schedules regularly featured teams ending seasons with disparate game counts. Since 1936, however, every team has finished a season playing the same number of games. This week’s situation threatens that streak.

Had the Bills (12-3) won in Cincinnati and then defeated the Patriots, they would have clinched their first No. 1 seed since 1993. Had the Bengals (11-4) won, they would have clinched the AFC North title and had a path to their first home-field advantage perch since 1988. As it stands now, the Chiefs (13-3) — based on win percentage — would be in position to capture the top seed by beating the Raiders on Saturday. While Kansas City grabbing the top seed would come with an asterisk, Florio adds the prospect of playing the AFC championship game on a neutral field is not on the table. Monday’s game being declared a no-contest would also wrap the 10-6 Ravens’ chances of winning the AFC North.

Other options exist here, and an NFL source informed Fowler the league moving the schedule back — via eliminating the bye week ahead of Super Bowl LVII — should be a possibility. The NFL did this during the 2001 season, though Jones adds NFL sources view a no-contest scenario as the cleanest as of Thursday morning. Rescheduling the Super Bowl is also not in play, per Jones.

Moving the Bills-Bengals tilt to next week — creating a de facto Week 19 — would also put the two playoff-bound teams at a bit of a disadvantage, with the rest of the postseason qualifiers being given an unusual bye week. Albert Breer of SI.com offers a scenario in which Goodell determines the Chiefs and Bills’ records through 16 games, thus putting Buffalo — which beat Kansas City in October — back on track to earn the No. 1 seed with a win over New England. Although such a plan would create a strange precedent, this week has effectively moved the league into uncharted territory.

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